It is tremendously comforting to be in the hands of Child and his hero - a good man who we know will save the day in the end before moving on, toothbrush in pocket, "just the clothes on his back. No particular place to go, and all the time in the world to get there."

Lee Child is the absolute master of the story of a lone stranger arriving in town to save the innocent, and this is one of the best of his series...as always, the violence is ferocious and fast-moving. Anyone feeling hard done by or facing insuperable odds will be comforted by this novel, which is also the best advertisement for the NHS I have ever seen.

Forget Marvel - we all know Jack Reacher is the only avenger that matters...Child has found his mojo again.

There's only one Jack Reacher. Accept no substitutes.

Jack Reacher, the 21st-century knight errant who over 23 books has proved himself the most reliable excellent basher of bad guys since [James]Bond...And good work, Lee Child. If you're at all partial to his revenge fantasies, this is one of the best for a while...your hands keep turning those pages, drawn in by storytelling that knows fancy words count for less than clarity and rhythm...It's nonsense. Yet it's compelling nonsense, a vicarious clearing away of life's obstacles via a hero who has no moral qualms, no physical or emotional vulnerability and no interest in what shampoo he uses.

There is a mythic heft to all this...Resolution will come, and Reacher will ride out of town once more, taking absolutely nothing with him. The body count, 24 books in, is into the hundreds...a fundamental part of the stories' appeal to women[is] their understated feminism. Reacher respects and likes women...In some ways, Blue Moon might be read...as female revenge drama...But do women fancy Jack Reacher?....the real point is that women want to be him. That's the fantasy: to abandon all responsibilities. To be physically invincible. To be justifiably fearless.

An über-thriller in which things turn out just right...it provides a satisfying climax and leaves you breathless, glad to be alive in a wicked world.

Drifter hero Jack Reacher on trigger-happy form in an action adventure which ramps up the violence and body count.

Reacher is nigh-invincible here (and certainly smarter than his thuggish opponents), and the body count is even more prodigious than in earlier books, which is saying something. Still, it is dispatched with the author’s customary panache.

The most spellbinding book I've read this year!

The plot is superb. Even if you've read Rebecca . . . you're still going to be glued to the pages . . . a cracking good read

A compelling twisty, feminist tale

This evocative thriller really draws you in

It’s as beautifully written as it is (re)plotted and the updating of characters is superb

A brace of cutting-edge themes are threaded into the abrasive narrative . . . It is a combustible mix, but as in the earlier Blue Light Yokohama, the author has the full measure of his difficult material. With his vividly evoked Mexican and LA settings [he] delivers a pacey, page-turning thriller, but the underlying seriousness gives real texture. Iwata is a richly drawn, conflicted hero, and this is another savage journey into the dark heart of America

Obregón keeps the unpredictable plot of Sins As Scarlet churning with myriad surprises that are grounded in believability

Ostensibly a suspense novel involving the abduction and murder of children, The Whisper Man is also a study of fatherhood. Alex North's writing is impeccable as he spins out his plot . . . At once painful and moving, this story feels both real and important

Alex North weaves a stunningly captivating narrative that's a nuanced and grounded exploration of father-son relationships. He strikes such a delicate balance that consistently elevates itself, he ultimately provides a master class in genre exploration. An incredible read

The Whisper Man is the most unsettling thriller I have read since Jo Nesbo's The Snowman. Much more than the sum of its parts, it is nightmarish and disturbing and, at the same time, a moving and life-affirming novel about fathers and sons, and grief, loss, and recovery

A novel about the dark places that are recognisably our own, The Whisper Man plays on our emotions as much as on our fears. A tremendous calling card for the brilliant Alex North.

Fantastic. He writes beautifully, with a powerful understanding of the effects of loss and damage on the human psyche and a style that sweeps you into its grip and never lets go. I'm totally sold on Alex North

A fine, chilling tale. Alex North paints a world that is so believable and at the same time utterly terrifying. The characters are beautifully rendered, and the tenderness of the central relationship between father and son deepened the sense of terror

Deliciously creepy and kept me up long after I'd turned the last page

Utterly absorbing and intense, so deliciously creepy I think I held my breath for half the book. I couldn't walk away from this affecting story until it was done with me. Loved it!

Gripping, disturbing, and creepy as hell - The Whisper Man deserves to be a huge hit. Absorbing writing, characters that will live with you long after finishing, and guaranteed to show up in a nightmare or three. Heartbreaking and unsettling in equal measure, it's destined to be the book that will readers won't be able to forget

Wonderfully dark, gently creepy and completely bloody heartbreaking. Alex North is a fantastic writer. The Whisper Man left me in pieces

A nerve-shredding emotional rollercoaster that'll keep you up late at night, whether you're still reading it or not. A compulsive read that's sure to give you nightmares

A phenomenal read. Terrifying and heartbreaking in equal measure and if it wasn't so hot I'd definitely be sleeping with the windows shut tonight! The Whisper Man will be the book everyone's talking about next summer, mark my words

A riveting page turner! Dark and unsettling, this one creeps under your skin

One of the best crime novels I've read in ages. Alex North has crafted a book that manages to be thrilling, terrifying and genuinely moving.

There's a soft voice outside your window and it demands your attention. The Whisper Man is coming. In fact, he's already here. Get ready to be unnerved. This novel is thrilling

The Whisper Man is a tour de force, utterly absorbing and brilliantly realised

The Whisper Man is a chilling, gripping read but also deeply moving. It's a novel that succeeds on all kinds of levels and deserves all the success that is no doubt coming it's way

No one does Dark with a Heart like Alex North and The Whisper Man delivers a sucker punch that stays with you. Beautifully crafted, chilling & emotional, this's going to be topping Books of the Year lists as soon as it's out

I read The Whisper Man in one go, barely remembering to breathe. North writes brilliantly about the cruelties of life, great and small, and the terrors that afflict young children (not to mention their parents). Tender, terrifying and utterly compelling, The Whisper Man will haunt you to the final page and beyond.

A creepy, serial killer-inflected thriller

More than just superbly creepy, this beautifully written thriller might just break your heart a little, too

With a tender theme about the complexity of father son relationships at its heart, this thriller is immaculately plotted, superbly written, and so good it deserves to be shouted about

A psychological thriller that's both terrifying and heartbreaking - you won't want to miss this one

[A] superb thriller... Readers will have a tough time putting down this truly unnerving tale, with its seemingly unexplainable elements and glimpses of broken and dangerous minds

Extraordinarily well-written, deeply moving . . . The stories are deftly marshalled and interwoven by North with a mastery that would be astonishing were he a debut novelist

ALEX NORTH'S tightly plotted crime thriller presses all the right buttons for the genre

Summer Books of 2019

This exceptionally creepy thriller is also a touching portrait of a bereaved father and son learning to depend on each other

A debut that will disturb and intrigue in equal measure

A debut novel set to disturb and intrigue. Truly chilling

As much an exploration of grief and of the father-son bond as it is a nerve-shredder, this is a good choice for Stephen King fans

Hollywood has snapped up this psychological thriller - and no wonder

Standout thriller

Deliciously dark and twisty, this is a page-turner from start to finish

If you like a touch of Stephen King mixed with British crime, then this is for you . . . this is a spooky read, but also holds its own as a police procedural novel

This flawless thriller will touch your heart and live long in your memory

This flawless thriller lives long in the memory